Traveling can be a bit of a grind, especially if you’re not used to it. The road warriors have learned all the tricks and tips to make their business trips a breeze, or at least not a parade of discomfort and irritation. And since many of our customers are road warriors and business travelers, we’ve learned a lot of travel secrets to making everyone’s trips more comfortable.
We also look to travel publications like Smarter Travel, who wrote about several ways to make traveling easier on your body. These are a few of the methods we think are important to try out for your next trip.
It starts with getting the right gear. From a comfortable outfit that keeps you warm but isn’t too heavy and hot, to shoes that let you do a lot of comfortable walking, your gear is probably the foundation for any trip you take.
The new Crew VersaPack Collection
Still, while we do love our carry-ons, sometimes you may not want to have to even deal with that on your flight. So gate check your bag so you don’t have to mess with it. Many times, the gate attendants are frantically trying to get a few people to gate check their carry-ons because they don’t have enough room on the plane. If you volunteer that for them, they’ll usually waive the checked bag fee, and you can stroll on with your personal item in hand. Then, depending on the flight, you can either pick up your bag at the baggage claim or sometimes even at your arrival gate.
Choose your seat beforehand and get the best one you can. Depending on the duration of your flight, you may have to make a hard choice between comfort and price. If you’re booking an Economy ticket, but it’s an 8-hour flight, you may want to splurge for the Economy Plus so you get a little extra legroom. But if it’s a 1-hour flight, you can probably stand a little discomfort to save a few bucks.
While we’re carefully choosing things, be sure to choose your flight times with care. Don’t leave so late in the day when you’re more likely to get delayed or bumped. Instead, try to leave early enough so you can avoid rush hour traffic getting to the airport. Also, make sure you give yourself more than an hour between connecting flights. The last thing you want to do is sprint through Hartsfield-Jackson or Chicago O’Hare because you only gave yourself 30 minutes between flights. And avoid the red-eye flights because it’s impossible to sleep and you’ll be wiped out the next day.
Get a ride to the airport and skip the hassle and costs of parking. A 5-day flight can easily cost $50 – $75 in parking costs, and you have to allow yourself plenty of time to get from the parking lot to the actual airport (at least 30 minutes). You can save a little time and headache if you catch a taxi, shuttle, or rideshare to the airport. The amount you spend is offset by the parking savings, and you can ride right up to the airport, step out, and walk to the gate.
Not packing your schedule is a simple way to make traveling easier on yourself. Rather than rushing around, trying to visit all the sights or get to all the meetings, be sure to schedule in some downtime so you can rest. For example, if you’ve got back-to-back meetings all day, knock off a little early so you can catch a nap before dinner. Or schedule a massage, visit a museum, or sit at a coffee shop and read. Do something where you can slow down and enjoy your time out, rather than racing from the moment you leave your house until you get home again.
How do you make sure you’re traveling in comfort and can arrive at your destination rested, or at least not wiped out by the trip? Whether it’s comfortable clothes, checking your bags, or even allowing downtime on your trip, we’ve all got little secrets to make travel easier on everyone. Share yours with us on our Facebook page, or on our Twitter stream.